Cantillon 50ºN-4ºE

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Brussels, Belgium

Bottle, 5% at GBBF08. Good citric flavour, some orange juice. Cloudy orange colour. Stable white head. Very nice citric flavour, not mouthpuckering, but really good. A well-balanced lambic.

75cl bottle, at home. i almost cried when it was finished. almost a reason to move to brussels!! one of the softest and most delicate geuze i had, delicate horsey, vanilla and pepper nose. sour but in a light velvety sort of way, woody, citric, mouthwatering. if i could imagine what the tears of a goddess would taste like, this comes pretty close xxx

Part of horizontal tasting along with 3 Fonteinen Doesjel and Russian River Beatification (002), all served at near room temperature and similar sized snifters:

Slightly hazy deep golden hue with minimal carbonation but not flat. A musty and barnyard yeasty nose along with notes of lemon and apricot, pipe tobacco, peat and minerals, and perhaps a touch of sweet liquor. I found this aroma the most complex and intriguing of the three, +1

The flavor profile is indeed the expected sour-funk-mineral combination but I found this quite approach as the sour edge seems softened by the different aging process. A touch fruitier and rounder that Cantillon standard Gueze. EACH OF THESE WHILE HAVING MANY COMMON ATTRIBUTES ARE STILL VERY UNIQUE AND RATED ACCORDINGLY.

Soft yet there is just enough carbonation too keep things interesting, While is quite dry, not as dry as the other two.

Final Impression: While really did not find much ado about Cognac, there does appear to be a roundness and uniqueness with this Lambic not normally found within the genre. Because of that I will reward this an additional 1 point overall. (I wish I had another bottle or three for the cellar) OUTSTANDING STUFF!

Pours a small white head, thin and short lived, lace is minimal. Hazy dark gold color. Nose is large, sweat, leather, fruit, yeast and light citrus. Body is light, fairly well carbonated, medium acidity, nicely tart and palate cleansing. Musty, fruity flavors, apple, light grapeyness and citrus, Leather, mustiness, with some horsey notes. Notice the wood (nice wood too!) but no real cognac flavors. Dry, tart and fruity finish. Sweeter than other Cantillons, maybe? Though i will admit it,s not near as tart as most, making this reasonably drinkable. A nice treat provided by eaglefan, thanks Brian! Would be nice to have one or two to age, see how it changes.

Bottle from State Line, purchased in May, and then brought back for sharing after the shelves went dry in days, me a lucky passerby who happened to grabbed on in a short window. The pour yielded a nice hazy golden straw color, decent initial head, thinned to a ring, spotty if any lacing. The aroma was funky tart apples, grapes, and lemons, light leathery elements. The flavor was so excellent, this thing just melded together nicely, remained pleasantly drinkable (I even said it came across as a gueuze, so smooth, no idea that was the classification here). Wonderful notes of leather and the tartness worked for me, and this finished with a very mildly sweet touch in the finish. No, the sweetness wouldn’t be perceivable to the novice, but for a Cantillon brew, this had a very nice mild-balanced (for a lambic) finish, that was very pleasant. A solid and stellar brew, glad I was able to share with those that didn’t get the bottle. If only I had some more? Mouthfeel was spritzy, slightly less carbonated than other gueze brews, but moreso than a standard flat/still type lambic. Is this my favorite Cantillon? I think perhaps so.

Bottle (75 cl) from Ölbutikken, Copenhagen, Denmark. Shady deep golden, tiny head. Cidery aroma with green and yellow apples, grapefruit, and some other soft tropical fruits (perhaps from the cognac), and finally some wood. A bit too sour for my liking, as usual with Cantillion.

Murky golden yellow in colour with a thin quickly dissipating white coloured head, light lacing. The aroma has some light barnyard, leather with a bit of sweetness at times, some wood. The flavour had some apples, was sour and acidic but all the while a bit mild for a Cantillon, some tropical fruits, lightly sweet. MIld mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. A toned down finishes with a mild tartness.

Tame by Cantillon standers, the barrel aging might have had something to do with this. A very easy drinking Gueuze but I still prefer my Cantillons with a bit more oomph.

750ml bottle obtained in a trade with miketd, thanks Mike.
Opened on March 28, 2008
Bottled in 2007.

Golden appearance with no head. Woody, funky, with a really slight cognac feature. I found it a bit harsh swallowing, not my best Cantillon bottle.